Spelling errors in queries, more particularly spelling errors in search queries that are submitted to conventional search engines, often make it difficult to conduct proper searches and to provide relevant search results in response thereto.
In some cases, misspelled queries are more difficult to correct using common dictionary-based approaches than misspelled words in a regular-written text. This is due to the fact that search queries often include words that may not be well-established in a given language, such as proper nouns or names. Moreover, unlike well-established words in a given language, new queries emerge constantly.
In order to overcome these issues, some research has been conducted for developing query spell correctors that are focused on the use of search logs, rather than human-compiled lexicons, in order to infer knowledge about spellings and word usages in search queries.
Generally speaking, conventional query spell correctors that use search logs are developed based on a principle that for a given misspelled query prior information regarding the given misspelled query is available in the search logs. The given misspelled query prior information may be indicative of prior transitions between the given misspelled query and potential corrections therefor. Such prior information may be explicit: a user explicitly preformed a new search according to a new query that is substantially similar to the given misspelled query right after performing the search according to the given misspelled query. Such information may also be implicit: the user performed a search according to the misspelled query but the search engine detected a potential misspell and presented the user with search results which were responsive to the corrected query and with which search results the user sufficiently interacted (without the user requiring to explicitly enter a new search query).
However, as previously mentioned, since new queries emerge constantly, search logs lack data or prior information regarding transitions associated with these new queries. Same may apply to rare misspells of a given search query. As such, in the eventuality that a new query is misspelled or erroneously entered by a user, conventional query spell correctors that use search logs are ill-suited for providing potential corrections for these potentially erroneously newly entered queries.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for new methods and systems for generating replacement queries for new user-entered queries that have been potentially erroneously entered.